Wanted in terror cases, ultras got jobs, contracts
8 Pak, PoJK-based ultras to be charge sheeted this week
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 31: Eight terrorists including an official of Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) and a petition writer in the court, who were absconding in police records for decades have been arrested here during a special drive by the State Investigation Agency (SIA) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) with the assistance of Doda police that have started looking for killers and terrorist associates hiding by blending in the society.
Significantly, the terrorists involved in several heinous terror activities and wanted in Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act cases, were living normal life including some of them in their houses, one of them enjoying Government privileges, hoodwinking the law enforcement agencies, before they were nabbed in joint action by SIA, CID and police after several years.
Some of them had even crossed the age of 50, official sources told the Excelsior.
In pursuance of its larger objective and the mandate of achieving “zero terrorism” in Jammu and Kashmir, SIA has initiated a special drive to trace and produce before the court concerned all absconders in terrorism-related cases.
An official statement said of the total 734 absconders, including 417 in Kashmir and 317 in Jammu, wanted in 327 TADA and the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) cases, SIA has so far verified and identified 369 absconders — 215 in Jammu and 154 in Kashmir.
Of the 369 verified absconders, 80 have died, 45 are residing in Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) and other countries, 127 remain untraced and four are in jails.
The eight arrested absconders were involved in terrorism and disruptive activities and were booked in TADA cases registered three decades ago in different police stations of Doda district and charge-sheeted in the TADA Court Jammu.
They managed to escape the clutches of the law for decades by going underground before resurfacing to enjoy normal family life at their native or some distant places.
Some of these absconders had managed to get into Government services and bagged contracts, while others got engaged in private businesses and even in courts, the officials said.
Those apprehended have been identified as Adil Farooq Faridi, resident of Shahidhi Chowk, Jammu, a Government employee presently posted in Jammu and Kashmir Board Of School Education, Ishfaq Ahmed son of Ghulam Ahmed Sheikh R/o Bun, Doda, who was working as a petition writer in Doda court complex, Mohd Iqbal alias Javed son of Sikander Khan, a resident of Asthan Mohalla, Doda, Mujahid Hussain alias Nisar Ahmed son of Abdul Rasheed Gathwan R/o Asthan Mohalla, Tariq Hussain son of Ghulam Ali Misger of Barshalla, Doda. Ishtiaq Ahmed Dev alias Ajaz son of Mohd Ayoub Dev of Shah Mohalla, Doda, Ajaz Ahmed alias Mohammad Iqbal son of Abdul Rehman of Dandi, Bhaderwah and Jameel Ahmed alias Jugnu alias Shika Khan son of Faiz Ahmed, resident of Kursari, Bhaderwah.
They will be produced before the TADA/POTA court in Jammu in pursuance of warrants issued against them, an official said.
He said the apprehended terrorists were involved in various terrorist activities including killings, kidnapping for ransom, instigating people for violence by setting false narratives during prayer meetings and atrocities at gunpoint between 1991 and 1993.
They were also named in an FIR following the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition in Shambaz area of Doda on June 22, 1994.
The official said how these absconder terrorists managed to escape the law and live a normal life without being traced for so long will also be investigated by the SIA.
Meanwhile, eight terrorists of Doda district operating from Pakistan and PoJK are likely to be charge sheets in next couple of days by Doda police which will plead for their declaration as proclaimed offenders clearing decks for the Central Government to seek their repatriation from the neighbouring country as their areas of operations have been obtained by the Intelligence agencies.
Sources said that eight terrorists against whom Doda police is ready with charge sheet belonged to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfits among others.
“All of them are local youth of Doda and had exfiltrated to Pakistan and PoJK over a period of time and are now operating from there masterminding terror activities in different parts of Jammu division mainly Doda and Kishtwar districts where they are trying to revive militancy by motivating local youth through their old contacts but have miserably failed,” the sources said.
Police charge sheet against eight terrorists carried details of the terror activities being planned by them while sitting across the border using different modes of communication and supplying weapons, cash etc to Over Ground Workers (OGWs).
Police have full details of particulars of the terrorists, areas from where they were operating for past some time now, youth to whom they contacted this side to radicalize them and lure them into terrorism, weapons and cash smuggled to this side etc., sources said, adding through the charge sheet police will appeal to the court to declared terrorists as proclaimed offenders.
“If the court agrees, the Government will then take up the case for repatriation of terrorists from Pakistan and will also seek help of Interpol for their arrests,” the sources said.
Maximum 118 such terrorists hailed from Doda district, 96 from Ramban and 36 in Kishtwar, they said but added that not all of them are active as many have married local girls there and are doing small business or labour work while few others have died. However, a good number of them are active and trying to mobilize local youth in the three districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban with the help of their old contacts to revive militancy.
“The Interpol will be approached for Red Corner Notice against only those terrorists who are active and trying to revive militancy. Their tentative locations in Pakistan and PoJK have also been traced by the Intelligence agencies,” the officials said.
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